Manager post Dundee

24/01/23: link to audio of post match comments of James McPake

The Dunfermline manager James McPake agreed that to lose 4-2 was perhaps a bit harsh:-

“Until the third goal went in we were well in the game. I thought we started really well and had some good play. Fair play to the Dundee players, they were clinical at the top end of the pitch. We had some chances early on but yeah, I think you can say the scoreline maybe flattered them a wee bit because it was such a good game. They have good players who can hurt you but I thought we were good on the night.”

Was the difference Dundee just being that bit more clinical?

“I don’t know because I think three of the goals were deflections. You say ‘is that clinical’? I don’t like the word clinical but I don’t like the word lucky because I have never been that. At the short corner we made three subs right before it and we maybe got mixed up with that. I don’t know, I’d need to watch the video back.

“When you see some of the chances we had early on, we scored two fantastic goals which I am delighted about and a young kid (Sam Young) up against Alex Jakubiak who is a fantastic player. He can hurt anyone in the Premiership let alone a young boy who is making his first appearance against senior players. That is great for Sam Young (pictured below), I’m delighted for him.

“It was a good decision to get him off. It was probably taking him off that caused the goals later on. It was a game that we are disappointed to lose, of course we are. It is a feeling that we have not been used to too much this season. It has happened back to back now with Partick Thistle and then coming here.

“I am proud of the team, proud of the players each and every one of them. We were without a few, as probably were Dundee - Paul McGowan and Shaun Byrne are injured - but no excuses. I thought that we were good on the night.”

Two games that you can take a lot from going into the remainder of the league campaign?

“It was a good chance to, I don’t like saying ‘gauge where we are at’ because it is not really of interest to us what is going on in the Championship, the Premiership or even League Two. Our focus is on League One and Dundee’s focus on the Championship. They wanted to win the game, we wanted to win the game. We both wanted to win on Saturday so it is two disappointing results when you have lost two games but there is a saying that there is a way to lose.

“I don’t like that either because I don’t like losing and that group aren’t used to it this season. We are back to the bread and butter stuff this Saturday. That is not papering over Saturday or tonight because we wanted to win both games, of course we did but we more than showed that we can handle that level of competition back to back. On another couple of days we might have taken a win from a penalty shoot out and then maybe if we had taken a chance early on in this game it could have been different. That’s all ifs and buts.”

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